MANKATO, Minn. – Fin Williams posted his first goal as a Maverick and Alex Tracy made 28 saves as Minnesota State men's hockey swept No. 17 Augustana with a 2-1 victory Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health Center Event Center.
 
The Mavericks withstood pressure in the waning minutes of the second period, then kept the Vikings off the board in the final 2:15 of regulation with the net empty to seize first place in the CCHA standings with four games remaining in the fight for the MacNaughton Cup.
 
The Mavericks posted a pair of even strength goals in the first period. Ralfs Bergmanis sprung Rhett Pitlick for a partial breakaway with a pass through the neutral zone. Pitlick slid it five-hole on the backhand at 6:54. It was Pitlick's 12^th goal of the season.
 
After Mason Wheeler's low left point shot, Williams tipped in his first career goal in front of Kotai. Jakob Stender collected the second assist at 13:23 of the first period for a 2-0 lead. Payton Matsui answered for Augustana at 17:09 with assists from Tyler Hennen and Garett Drotts.
 
The Vikings outshot the Mavericks 13-6 in the second period but kept the puck out. After being pinned in the defensive zone late, head coach Luke Strand called timeout following an icing call and the Mavericks relieved the pressure seconds later.
 
Tracy made seven saves in the third to close the door. The Mavericks also blocked 18 shots and went 0-3 on the power play. With the win Saturday and a loss of at least one point by Lake Superior State, the Mavericks earned the right to host a first round CCHA Mason Cup playoff series, though the final standings will be determined in the next three weeks.
 
Minnesota State (20-8-2, 15-5-2 CCHA) travels to Lake Superior State Feb. 21-22, then concludes the regular season at home against Bemidji State.
 
Due to Augustana playing fewer conference games than the rest of the league, the regular season standings will be determined by points percentage. The teams total points are divided by games played times three.